The Legend of Ryuki
by Ryuki Rose
Summary: AU!LoK, where Korra isn't the Avatar. Instead, the writer's OC/persona/whatever you wanna call it, is the Avatar! Follows a similar storyline to LoK, though. This is just for fun, everyone! And I invite others to do this as well. Hopefully, your persona wouldn't be as boring as me/mine. XD WARNINGS: SELF-INSERT, OC, POWER FANTASY, JUST THE SHOW RE-WRITTEN.


This was written for fun; may or may not continue. I'd enjoy to see others' takes on how they would be as an Avatar. :] In Legend of Korra setting, since it's rife with possibilities!

Disclaimer: I do not own LoK or its characters.

xxx

Darkness just began to fall on a southern island of the Fire Nation territory. In the twilight, three figures strode to a small home that squatted on the edge of a beach. They wore blue and silver robes and each carried tired, if formal, expressions. Upon approaching the abode, the door swung open and a tall, tanned man stood in the entry way, smiling at his guests. Though living in the Fire Nation, and dressed in typical Fire Nation apparel, the man was obviously from the swamps, gauging on his appearance.

As the man led the three inside, they found his wife - a Fire Nation woman - further inside, waiting in silence while wringing her hands. The swampbender approached his wife, putting an arm around his shoulders and they both turned to the White Lotus members.

The inside of their home wasn't fancy and their heritages clashed in colors and flow. Despite this, the atmosphere was warm and loving; the scents were rich and spicy with a hint of citrus; the temperature a bit humid.

"We have investigated many children, to see if they are the next harbinger of balance," A White Lotus member stated, arms crossed behind his back as he observed the firebender and swampbender with an unimpressed eye, "What makes you so sure your daughter is the Avatar?"

"See for yourself," chuckled the man, "Ryuki, we have some guests!"

From the other room, a pale four-year-old shyly crept in, dragging a plush wolf-tiger with her. She peered at the strangers beneath her dark bangs, her brown eyes large and curious. Her mixed heritage made it difficult to decide whether she was more water than fire, but obviously - if she were the Avatar - she garnered more from the Moon than the Sun.

"Well?"

"Ryuki, will you show these nice people your bending?" Her mother asked, putting a heated emphasis on 'nice' while her eyes flashed from her daughter to the White Lotus.

The little girl glanced from her parents to the strangers, before a slow smile curled at her lips and she nodded. Dropping the stuffed animal to the floor, Ryuki stepped forward. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, before spinning. Her feet left the ground, for a few seconds, but rather than fall back to the ground, an earth platform rose beneath her. Continuing her spin, Ryuki kicked a weak flicker of flame from her foot, putting the ball of fire out with water from a nearby vase.

Finished with her little show, the girl giggled, tugged on her tunic and looked at her feet.

xxx

Far in the south, in a facility designed just for the Avatar, twenty-two-year-old Ryuki put her firebending skills on display for the White Lotus and her waterbending Sifu, Katara.

Three opponents circled, hands up and ready to shoot flame at her. The woman's heart raced, still unsettled with the element of fire; she feared her sparring partners knew that, too, and that they'd take it easy on her.

A shout indicated the first attack, from behind. The man let out a battle yowl, and Ryuki heard the crackle of the flame before spinning to sight it. She split it, sending both columns toward her other opponents, who moved to attack; the size of her counter ate their paltry fire-balls. With the others distracted, she took a running start at her first attacker, dodging a few of his fireballs before flipping over him, kicking a powerful blast of fire down on his head. He blocked, but wasn't able to counter the barrage of flame that rained down from Ryuki's fists.

Grunting, the Avatar landed, ducking into a roll as an arc of flame shot across her, searing the back of her armor. Using the momentum, Ryuki kicked a lick of flames at the second man, knocking him out of the specified ring, before jumping to her feet. Hands up, defensive position, her brown eyes wheeled around, seeking her final opponent.

A burst of fire slammed into her side. Ryuki gasped, pain flicking across her body as the sheer heat of the flame scorched her armor. As she turned, she snarled and brought both her fists together - arms straight - in a move that unleashed a hellish wall of fire toward her opponent. He yelped, braced himself, but the force blasted him out of the 'safe zone' and into a far wall.

Ryuki turned to face her spectators, nearly cringing under their critical gaze. Instead, the woman stilled her breathing and fell into the traditional bow after approaching the White Lotus and her sifus.

"So, do I pass?" The Avatar offered a slight smile, folding her arms behind her back and resisting the urge to rock back on her heels.

"If you must ask if you passed," started Yukio, her firebending Sifu, "I must ask: do you feel you have mastered fire?"

"Isn't there always room for improvement, Sifu Yukio?" An exasperated sigh escaped Ryuki's lips, her stance shifting as she put her hands on her hips, "Do I get to go to Republic City or not?"

"I don't know." A White Lotus member pondered, stroking his beard as he glanced at his two companions. The three of them had been around Ryuki her entire Avatar career, having been the ones who found her. He shot a glance to an old waterbender, "Sifu Katara, do you feel she is ready?"

"Yes, I do." Sifu Katara smiled after a moment of contemplation, the wrinkles at her eyes crinkling, "Though uncertain in the theory, she is confident in the practice."

The earthbender White Lotus member pursed his lips, uncertain. He had always been rather careful, "And is it safe for us to allow her to go to Republic City?"

"You can't keep me locked up here forever." Ryuki sighed, a frown etching into her lips, "Plus it's ridiculous to make Sifu Tenzin and his family move so far, especially with Pema pregnant and with Tenzin acting on the city council."

"Do you not remember her arguments the last sixty times, Kaito?" The female White Lotus member of the original triad sighed, shaking her head. Over the years, Ryuki had posited argument after argument - whether calmly or in a rage - as to why she should go to the city. Near her latest birthday, the White Lotus had finally given in, if simply thanks to the fact that the Avatar threatened to leave on her own.

Ryuki watched, eyebrows raised and an unsettling heat in her brown gaze; a sort of crazy edge she had inherited from her mother. Kaito harrumphed and harrumed, crossing his arms and shifting from foot to foot. Finally, the man answered, "Please, be careful, Ryuki."

A smile split across the woman's face and she barely contained a whoop of delight. Quickly regaining her composure, she still wasn't able to control the giddiness that tickled her voice, "Thank you all, so much!"

With that, she turned and sped off, unable to contain herself any further.

xxx

"I'm sorry, but we cannot allow you to go." Kaito was the one to break the news to Ryuki as she was wrangled into the living area of her small home. The Avatar knew something was wrong as soon as she saw the pinched expressions, "The Equalist threat is too great, Ryuki."

"But this is the best time for me to go! I could help settle this bender versus non-bender nonsense!" She clenched her fists, trying to still the swell of disappointment in her chest that threatened to become rage.

"We cannot risk it when you're not fully-fledged." Yukio stepped forward, features grim and tense.

Exasperated, the woman threw her arms out, palms facing her family and friends, "I was chosen by the universe for a reason, though!"

"Ryuki, listen to them." Her father stepped forward, "They have your best interests at heart, honey."

"No! They're afraid, and I get that, but I'll be fine! I'm the Avatar!"

"You haven't mastered all four elements!" Her mother stepped in, mimicking Ryuki's annoyed reactions and irritated expression.

"So?"

"Ryuki, please, understand. What will we do if you die?" Again, Kaito.

"I really doubt the Equalists are that violent."

"You'd be surprised what the desperate do."

Ryuki clenched her teeth, jaw set angrily. Her eyes flared with a deep-down fire, but she kept it contained, barely. Her hands fisted and her gaze trailed from her parents, to the White Lotus guards who kept her safe, to her masters. Her mind was whirling with options and answers and arguments. She had to go, she felt it in her marrow. The Avatar had to be in Republic City, regardless of the threat. Recognized or not, she could make a difference!

The pained expressions that crossed her mentors', her guardians', and even her parents' faces deflated Ryuki's resolve. Shoulders slumping, the Avatar closed her eyes and released her balled fists, "Fine. I'm going to bed."

She left the room to a heavy tension and a few whispered apologies.

xxx

Dark night settled over Ryuki's home and she silently crept from her window, a rucksack in tow over her shoulder. Her boots crunched against the crisp snow, almost drowned out by the howl of the wind, as she made her way to the stables that housed her polar bear-fox. As Ryuki slipped into the building Arnook rolled over. His stubby tail wiggled as he stood, his hulking form towering over the Avatar.

While not bulky, Arnook still stood at a fair size. Six foot on all fours, and at least seven hundred pounds; his body tapered into something more streamlined than a polar bear-dog. A bulky head, with whiskered muzzle and oversized ears, a thick trunk - with muscular, but slender legs - that tapered into a more agile behind, and a stubby tail. A birth "defect" had given the polar bear-fox a strange coloring; completely black with dark blue eyes. It was hard to imagine Arnook as the tiny little, yowling polar bear-fox she and her father saved from a blizzard, but there he stood.

"Hey, Arnook," Ryuki nuzzled her head against her companion's, enjoying the scent of somewhat damp polar bear-fox in her nose, "We're going on a trip."

As she pulled back, the black animal eyed her, ears twitching in curiosity. Ryuki didn't say anything else; she set to work with adorning Arnook with his custom saddle.

xxx

Four days passed and, finally, Ryuki and Arnook stumbled into Republic City around early morning. The trek had been long and exhausting, but upon seeing the buildings and hearing the liveliness of the urban sprawl, Ryuki didn't want to retire to Airbender Island right away. Not that she could've found the island off the bat.

Ryuki and her polar bear-fox wandered the streets, half-sight-seeing and half looking for buildings she should be familiar with. Okay, mostly sight-seeing.

So many scents filled the air. Smoke, sewage, perfumes, colognes, food from vendors, it was all dizzying. The amount of people was just astounding, along with all the diversity that happened across their features. The clatter of satomobiles, constant chatter from crowds milling by on the street, horns blaring, children shouting. Every where, there was a new scent, a new sound, a new sight.

The people she observed also took some amusement in watching her. It wasn't every day someone traveled by on a polar bear-fox. Whispers, gossip and rumor tailed behind Ryuki, but the Avatar paid it no heed.

Happening upon a park, Ryuki watched and listened to the performers, smiling and clapping. Until she came across a man standing on a veritable soapbox.

"Brothers and sisters, throw off the shackles of bender-oppression and join the Equalists!" The old man, with greyed sideburns and a bristly beard, hollered through his megaphone. He handed out pamplets and fliers as he spoke. Ryuki's eyes trailed over his little set-up.

Behind him, a back-drop of a masked man - done up in reds, whites, and yellows - with an outstretched hand leered back at her. Ryuki narrowed her eyes. Was this the man on the poster who ran the Equalists? The movement hadn't gained momentum, but according to her father they were gathering members. Was this Amon that her news junkie father had mentioned in the past?

"Our leader, Amon, will not rest until our rights are equal to those of benders! Non-benders belittle and oppress us! They threaten our lives and the lives of our loved ones! The Era of Equality is neigh, but only with your help, bothers and sisters!"

Her expression pinched, eyebrows furrowing and lips pressing into a frown as she listened. Though she understood non-benders feared benders, on some level, Ryuki could never recount a time where someone was mistreated for simply not being able to bend an element. Then again, she had lived a very secluded life.

"You there! Fire Nation woman! You, on the black creature!"

Ryuki started, unaware that she was being called. Eyes focusing on the Equalist spokesman, she replied, "I'm not from the Fire Nation."

"Whatever you are, do you not think that non-benders have been quashed beneath the thumb of bender-preferred laws and opportunities for much too long?"

"I, uh, I can't really answer that."

"Why?" A smirk curled at the man's lips as he called out, "Is it because you are a privileged bender yourself?"

"Uhm, yes, pretty much."

"And you see nothing wrong with benders threatening non-benders?"

"Well, I haven't really-"

"Abusing their powers to make non-benders their veritable slaves?"

"Does tha-"

"Or do you just turn a blind eye to it, as society has all these centuries?"

Ryuki stared at the man, eyebrow raised and an unimpressed expression curling over her features. A beat of silence passed, before she inquired, "Are you done now?"

"I bet you wish I was done!" The man sputtered, drawing an even bigger crowd and launching into hysterical theatrics, waving his megaphone and motioning to his little stand, "I bet you wish you could set this all aflame! I bet you wish you could silence me! But equality cannot be silenced and, soon, benders like you will realize this!"

"I'm not trying to silence you."

"You lie! You cannot tell me you don't want to burn this to the ground!"

"Nope. You have all rights to speak," Ryuki slipped off Arnook, taking a few steps toward the spokesman's box. He shirked back, raising the megaphone as if to guard himself. The Avatar paused, knowing fear when she saw it. Her eyes surveyed the crowd that seemed on edge, ready to pounce on her and flay her alive for any misstep. Ryuki's heart ached with adrenaline as her eyes fell back to the man, "Just like your opponents have every right to reply."

"Why? So you can fill our mind with bender propaganda and garbage?" He snarled.

Ryuki gave him a sad smile, half wondering what happened to this man to make him so bitter toward benders. Her eyes trailed down to his pamphlets and fliers, scattered across various tables within a foot radius of his stall. Picking up a few items, she looked back up at the man, "These are free, right?"

The man's eyes, wide and bugged, waiting for her to lash out, to do something aggressive, dipped to the papers in her hands, before returning to Ryuki's face. He nodded, tight-lipped and uncertain.

"Thank you." Ryuki nodded, before turning back to Arnook. The polar bear-fox waited, obediently, head tilted to the side as he peered from the speaker to the Avatar.

"Are you even a bender?" The shout came from the crowd, startling the speaker and gaining Ryuki's attention as she climbed into Arnook's saddle. She scanned the assembled citizens, but couldn't find an indication of who said anything.

For a moment, Ryuki struggled. Did she admit to being the Avatar? To saying she wanted to help? Or did she admit to one element? Or not say a word at all? What use was it to lie, though? But, really, walking among the public would be easier if she didn't reveal her title right away.

Instead, the woman rose a fist to her lips and coughed into her head. A lick of flame fluttered across her knuckles, just enough for the crowd to see. Then Ryuki nudged Arnook into a trot. As the two departed from the Equalist stall, the speaker returned to his script, but without the firm gusto that had tinged his words earlier.

xxx

The sun slowly traversed to a mid-point in the sky, blaring down on Ryuki and Arnook. The young woman had discarded her light jacket, tying the sleeves around her hips and wearing it as a half-skirt that was traditional in the South. The woman was beginning to miss the brisk chill of home as humidity seeped into the day.

Down a side street, a stretch of shops lined the sidewalks. The Avatar peered in the windows, but didn't bother going inside. She didn't have any money and she couldn't imagine any shop-owner allowing Arnook to bluster through their wares.

"Hey, what's a hot thing like you doin' on a beast like that?" Across the street, a man called. Ryuki glanced at him, eyebrows raised, trying to gauge whether to take offense or to smile at the potential teasing.

His companion whooped, "I'll give you a beast to ride, honey blossom!"

"Thanks, but no thanks." Ryuki threw the cat-callers a stiff smile, uncertain of how to react to such words, and continued guiding Arnook through the street. She heard some scoffs and whispered retorts in her wake, but didn't bother to turn or pursue to the matter further. The city wasn't her natural habitat.

A wail, from the direction she came, caught her attention. Turning, Ryuki found the source. An elderly shopkeeper cringed away from three men, each wearing smug grins. Across the street, the men who had cat-called Ryuki sidled down an alleyway, away from the scene.

"I just paid last week!"

"Yeah, well protection is a valuable commodity, geezer." "Want to keep the shop from mysteriously flooding? Then cough up the yuans."

"I just paid my bills and restocked; I don't have any money!"

"Well, ain't that a pity?" A second man intoned, pouting. He slammed his foot into the ground, sending a ripple toward the shop. The shift in foundation made the storefront window shatter. Ryuki's heart twisted as she heard the old man let out a tearful whine.

"Hey! What do ya' fellas think you're doing?" Ryuki marched forward, catching four differeng sets of eyes. The shopowner watched her, fearful and wringing his hands while the three goons leered.

"Were doin' business. Ya' mind?"

"Yeah, kind of. Cause your business sounds like extortion." Ryuki put her hands on her hips, frowning with distaste at the three men.

"Big word for a little girl." One snarled, flame licking to life in his palm.

"Maybe to an idiot."

The fireblast burst her way within seconds; a cylindrical inferno of broken ego and agitation. Ryuki parted the blast, only to be met with chunks of sidewalk and sharp ice cicles flung at her face. She quickly fell into a defensive position, melting the icicles and using the water to encase the chunks of rock, slamming the rock to the ground.

Whispers reared from neighboring shops.

The Avatar slammed her hands upward, crooking her fingers and forcing rock to form around each of the men's feet. Startled, one of the men lost their balance and fell backward at a painful angle while the other two stared at Ryuki, fearful and paling from realization. The woman advanced on her prey, moving her arms so the fallen man was righted by a few key earthbending moves.

"Now, I may just be a little girl, but I really don't think it's right to cause such strife, do you?" Ryuki nodded to the elderly shop owner, who watched her with wide eyes. The three men shook their head, emphatically, sputtering negatives. The Avatar smiled at them, a somewhat predatory gleam cast in her brown eyes, "Glad we're on the sa-"

A whip of water slammed toward her head and Ryuki cursed. She ducked, spinning on the balls of her feet to bring the water back around in an arch, slamming it into the waterbender's chest. The Avatar froze the man's arms down as she stood straight, bringing rock up to encase the other two. Just then, the howls of sirens tinted the air and Ryuki glanced down the street, "Well, ain't that a pity? Looks like you boys are in trouble with the authorities."

In seconds, metalbending officers descended on the scene, snarling orders and releasing the men. They didn't shackle them, however. Instead, the men scurried away, scot-free.

Ryuki felt her pale face burn with confusion and embarrassment. So much for appearing cool, "They were threatening this shopkeeper!"

"Bending-centric fights, in the street, are strictly prohibited!" Belted out an officer, glaring at her.

"But I was-"

"Hands above your head or we'll use force, ma'am!" Barked the officer.

Ryuki glowered at the man, but thrust her hands into the air, allowing the officers to clasp metal cuffs around her wrists. Behind her, Arnook bristled and snarled as an officer attempted to muzzle him.

"Listen to the officers, Arnook." Ryuki muttered, calming the polar bear-fox's agitation slightly. She never tore her eyes from the commanding officer, keeping a fairly sour look on her face as she and Arnook were crammed into the back of a vehicle.

As the truck bustled away, a neighboring shopkeeper bustled up next to the man who had, just moments ago, been the victim of threats. She stared down the road, lips pursing, "Did they just arrest the Avatar?"

Still astounded, the elderly man breathlessly murmured, "I believe they did."

xxx

Commercial break!

lol, jk.

xxx

Ryuki sat in the dimmed interrogation room, beneath a spotlight of a hanging lamp. Her lips were twisted into a frown, arms crossed over her chest as the police chief listed off her apparent "transgressions" against justice. She watched the old woman pace back and forth, barking out the charges. Every so often, light would flash across the name-plate on her uniform: Bei Fong. The Avatar had mused over that tidbit while half-listening to Chief Bei Fong.

"I won't have you playing vigilante in my city!" Snapped the woman as she slammed her hands down on the table, "You are not above the law, just because you're the Avatar!"

"Glad to hear that, but your officers let the real bad guys escape, you know."

"There was no evidence."

"Did your officers even lodge inquiries?" Ryuki cocked an eyebrow at the chief, thoroughly annoyed.

"They saw you holding three men hostage, Avatar, why would they have even asked anything?"

Before Ryuki could reply, a detective poked his head in, announcing the arrival of the councilman. A sour puckered the chief's lips, but she allowed the man entry. As the airbender whisked into the room, he approached the police chief, walking as mannerly and elegantly as Ryuki remembered.

"Ah, Lin, radiant as ever." Tenzin smiled.

Ryuki and Chief Bei Fong shared an unamused expression. The chief snapped, crossing her arms and nodding toward Ryuki, "Cut the crap, Tenzin. Your charge is in big trouble. What is she even doing here?"

"Well, she still has to master airbending and-"

"Can't she do that in the South?"

"Well, my living arrangements as they are, ah, she..." Tenzin stumbled over his words and Ryuki didn't doubt, for a second, there was history between Lin and him. He quickly gave up under Lin's expression, "Lin, can you just release her? It's her first time in the city and her first offense. She will promise to be less ignorant of the law."

Both turned matching looks to her and Ryuki sighed, monotonously spouting, "I promise to be less ignorant of the law."

Chief Bei Fong was silent, lips still puckered sourly. Ryuki wondered if the woman had any other expressions than Frown, Unimpressed, and Rage. Finally, the police chief sighed and uncrossed her arms, moving her hands to her hips, "Fine, Tenzin. She can go, but I've got my eyes on her."

"Thank you, Chief Bei Fong." Tenzin smiled warmly at her - more genuinely than his last grin - and turned to Ryuki, "Let us go, Ryuki."

As the Avatar was leaving, she glanced over her shoulder, throwing Chief Bei Fong a polite smile and a wave before disappearing from view. The older woman watched them leave, rolling her eyes before looking back over Ryuki's newly made record. She slapped it shut and tore the folder in half, tossing the papers into a waste bin outside of the room as she exited.

xxx

After a lengthy argument with Tenzin and the newly arrived White Lotus - it wasn't hard to guess where Ryuki ran off to - the Avatar soon won the right to stay and practice her airbending. After all, she was an adult and capable of making her own choices. And, as such, the Avatar decided to take in a pro-bending match as celebration.

A few of her White Lotus sentries discussed the event earlier, after Ryuki won the argument, making reference to some Fire Ferrets and Rowdy Rhino-Bulls. Though uncertain, Ryuki knew it was approved bending fights with certain rules and regulations. Most of the finer details were fuzzy, but Tenzin seemed to share her mother's distaste about pro-bending; that made Ryuki curious to know more about the sport.

Of course, unused to foreign buildings and architecture, Ryuki found herself lost between her seat and the restroom just before the match. She stumbled upon a room that stunk like sweat, but reminded Ryuki of a dojo she visited once while in the Fire Nation. Punching bags hung from the ceiling, practice dummies lined a wall, rope nets hung from the ceiling; all signs pointed to "gym." Ryuki didn't have long to explore, though.

"What're you doing in my gym, kid?" She spun, coming face to face with a crotchety old man who glared at her with annoyance.

"I'm lost, sorry, I - "

"Don't gimme that hullabaloo!" The man started to advance on her, but before he could continue, a young man passing by outside paused and poked his head in.

"Oh, there you are!" His green eyes fixed to Ryuki and, momentarily, she thought he had her confused for someone else. Already frazzled, she didn't reply. He continued on, waltzing up to her and putting a hand on her shoulder, "I've been looking for you, I thought you wanted to meet the rest of the Fire Ferrets!"

So he was a pro-bender. Explained the armor-esque get-up he wore. Quick to pick up, Ryuki flashed him a soft smile and nodded, "Yeah, sorry. Was trying to get back from the bathroom and got lost."

"Sorry, Mr. Dai. Just a fan I was going to introduce to my team." The young man turned to the coder with an easy explanation about some sort of contest pouring from his lips. Ryuki observed the young man for the moment; late teens, muscular build, an upturned noise, dark hair, pale. If she had been younger, she may have found him attractive. At her age, though, he was still fairly adorable. Her brain kicked her as the boy wrapped up his schpeal, "Sorry again, Mr. Dai. We'll just be on our way now!"

With that, the two swept out of the gymnasium, making idle conversation while leaving the old man behind to mutter.

xxx

Once certain they were far enough away, Ryuki paused and turned to her hero of the evening, "Thank you."

"No problem! Anything for a pretty lady." The young man grinned, waggling his thick eyebrows.

Ryuki snorted, rolling her eyes at his compliment. She ignored the curious look the young man gave her, before introducing herself, "Name's Ryuki and, obviously, I get lost easily. And you are?"

"Haha, man, you _are_ new!" He grinned, putting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest, "I'm Bolin of the Fire Ferrets!"

Bolin paused, apparently waiting for some kind of recognition. Ryuki raised her eyebrows, before monotonously oohing. The young man's puffed chest deflated, but that grin still curled at his lips, "Haven't heard of us, have you?"

"No, afraid not. I don't follow pro-bending, just thought I'd come to check it out since I had the chance."

"Well, tonight's your lucky night! Lemme show you the ropes."

"Ropes?" Ryuki's eyebrows raised slightly.

"Er, not actual ropes. I mean, there are ropes in the arena, but you'll see that. You won't go in the arena, but you'll be ab-" He stumbled over his words and Ryuki smiled. He wasn't a full-fledged sweet-talker just yet, but still adorably sincere. Bolin coughed, straightening his embarrassed stance as he started over, "Just follow me and I'll explain as we go, alright?"

"Sounds good to me." The woman grinned, motioning for the teenager to show the way.

xxx

That's all for now! :D


End file.
